Rebecca Howard told police two men bundled her into a car and drove her to a car park in Walmer before one of the men raped her in the early hours of Sunday, February 6.

The 20-year-old's accusation prompted a major police investigation which proved the offence never happened.

Howard, of Prince of Wales Terrace, pleaded guilty to wasting police time when she appeared before magistrates in Folkestone.

She was given a four month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and told to carry out 200 hours unpaid work. She must pay £1,000 compensation to Kent Police and will be subject to a 12-month supervision order.

Det Insp Matt Banks from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, which investigated the rape allegation, said: "We take all allegations of rape very seriously and our priority is to get justice for genuine victims of rape.

"It takes considerable bravery for a rape victim to come forward to report a crime and we will always sensitively and thoroughly investigate all reported rapes.

"Our priority is always the victim and we would always encourage anyone who is a victim of this type of crime to come forward and report it.

"Howard abused this and her allegation caused heightened concern within the Deal community and involved considerable time and resources to investigate."